Safety for Jaroslav and His Family

Our friend Jaroslav, an activist in Belarus, was forced to flee from the country in July 2021 when his apartment was searched by government personnel trying to build a case that would send him to prison as many other dissidents there have been. Traveling a circuitous route over the next 48 hours, Jaroslav made it to Ukraine, where he had friends in the Ukrainian freedom movement. He now has a job with the organization at the center of free-market reforms in Ukraine, where he continues to advocate for economic and democratic reforms both there and in Belarus.

 

Jaroslav’s wife and two sons stayed behind in Belarus until he could get established. They’re hoping to join him this spring after the boys’ school term is over. Obviously, the situation in both Belarus and Ukraine is troubling right now. Lukashenko is still imprisoning dissidents -a friend of Jaroslav’s was recently arrested and faces up to 10 years in prison – and a Russian invasion of Ukraine seems quite possible. There’s a real chance that a fast exit from either or both countries could be necessary.

 

Because quick decisions might have to be made, we would like to help Jaroslav build up an emergency fund, both to help the family reunite in a safe country (possibly from two separate locations) and to give them resources to draw upon until they can get established there.

 

Thank you in advance if you’d like to help.

 

P.S. We just found out that the Ayn Rand Center in Ukraine has nominated Jaroslav for their Best Freedom Advocate of 2021 award. The winner will be announced in February.